Tuesday, September 28, 2010

It was as if we flipped the switch from summer to fall in a span of 36 hours.We went from high temperatures in the 90's, to high temperatures in the 80's, and from morning lows in the 70's to the 50's.

The image above shows our morning lows from earier today. Most areas bottomed out in the lower 50's, with a few areas briefly touching the upper 40's.

With a cool and dry airmass in place, the next couple of mornings will see similar readings. That means you might actually need that windbreaker or sweater when you head out the door in the morning to work or school.

The cold front that brought in the cooler and drier air came from a big shift in our overall weather pattern.

Right now, we have a big dip in the jetstream across the eastern half of the United States. It is that big dip or trough, that has brought down some Canadian air into East Texas.

The good news is that this weather pattern will not budge much for the next several days.

This not only means more clear nights and sunny afternoons, but also means no tropical systems will invade the western Gulf.

We currently have another tropical depression, which formed earlier today in the Caribbean. We don't have to worry about that depression heading our way as the trough of low pressure across the Southeast U.S. will help steer that system into Florida and areas along the Atlantic seaboard.

If you have the opportunties to make outdoor plans (play golf, tennis, etc), go ahead and do it over the next week and a half or so.

After all, this weather pattern will eventually change. It will just come later rather than sooner.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

With fall just days away, we are very aware that usually means change is on the way. Even though it is still very warm and humid, fall indicates that fronts and cooler weather are in the offing.

Our weather department at KTRE-TV 9 will be undergoing some change as well.

Over the past few weeks, I have been in training with some of the newest and greatest weather graphics there are to offer.

On Thursday, we are set to debut our new HD look on air for the first time. You will notice a different look and feel to the weather graphics once they hit the airways.

I want to preface HD by saying that even though our news and weathercasts won't be in HD, it is HD compatible, meaning that when we decide to transition to HD, we will be all set to flip the switch.

This new graphic system will have many of the same features you have come to know and love over the years. However, it also has more bells and whistles, so some items will look and be displayed in a different format.

Right now, we are working out the technical side of things with our graphics and engineering department. I can't wait to debut the new look and I'm sure you will be excited about what it has to offer.

Here in East Texas, we picked up anywhere from 1-3" of rain, which certainly helped out our rainfall deficit.

This storm goes to show you that you don't need a major hurricane to cause widespread flooding and damage across a region. Sometimes it is the smaller, less intense storms, that can be just as dangerous.

Monday, September 6, 2010

After a sunny and beautiful weekend, the moisture and rain has surged back into East Texas, all ahead of Tropical Storm Hermine.

Hermine formed early this morning and is situated about 125 miles to the southeast of Brownsville, Texas.

There is a small chance Hermine could briefly strengthen into a category one hurricane before landfall, but due to its close proximity to land, it is not likely.

Tropical Storm Hermine is expected to make landfall later this evening in northern Mexico or extreme South Texas. She will then slow down and track to the northwest, moving through South Texas tomorrow and Central Texas on Wednesday.

It is in and near the circulation where flooding rains (4-8") could fall between now and Thursday.Our effects from Hermine will be simple: rain showers, some of which will be heavy in the next couple of days.

While we don't anticipate the flooding rains that our friends and neighbors will see in Central and South Texas, we will still benefit from the system as waves of rain move through the Piney Woods.

Our in house computer model suggests that between now and Wednesday evening, many areas could pick up around 1-2" of rain, with some spots seeing as much as 3".

The bottom line is that Hermine is the perfect system for us to help in the rainfall department. Entering today, we were close to 6" behind in rainfall for the year.

These are the tropical systems which can put a big dent, if not erase, the deficit and put plenty of moisture back in the soils.